WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.200 Do you ever think about how sometimes silly it 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:08.960 is that on things like motor oil bottles and 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:13.560 bleach, there's warning signs that say do not 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:17.420 consume, not for bodily consumption? Or like 00:00:17.420 --> 00:00:20.600 you go to the roller coaster at Six Flags or 00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:25.160 Dollywood and there's a sign that says keep harness 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:29.289 fastened or keep seatbelt on. As if I was actually 00:00:29.289 --> 00:00:32.909 going to not have myself harnessed in when I'm 00:00:32.909 --> 00:00:36.530 going upside down at 75 miles per hour. Or the 00:00:36.530 --> 00:00:39.109 lion enclosure at the zoo that says, keep out. 00:00:41.469 --> 00:00:46.030 Who's going in there? The only people, like these 00:00:46.030 --> 00:00:49.210 feel like such duh statements, but the only people 00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:52.149 that need those are toddlers and dogs, which 00:00:52.149 --> 00:00:56.240 are basically the same thing. they're the only 00:00:56.240 --> 00:01:00.100 people and they can't read. So for us, we look 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:02.380 at those and we're like, well, duh. Yeah, I'm 00:01:02.380 --> 00:01:05.260 not going to do something that is actually harmful 00:01:05.260 --> 00:01:08.340 for my body. Well, at least if it's obvious. 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:11.280 I'm not going to do something that definitely 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:15.459 leads to death. But what about the things, what 00:01:15.459 --> 00:01:19.120 about being obedient to the things that are not 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:22.000 as easy or convenient to be obedient to? Like, 00:01:22.019 --> 00:01:26.760 don't party. But everybody else is going to the 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:29.819 party. So I need to go, right? Like this is one 00:01:29.819 --> 00:01:33.000 of those areas where I can maybe do what I want 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:37.400 to do. Or don't drive fast. But all my friends 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:40.239 are drag racing down the strip. So I need to 00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:44.180 do it too. Or things like, you know, don't sleep 00:01:44.180 --> 00:01:47.140 with someone you're not married to. But man, 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:51.599 she is so attractive. And we have these things, 00:01:51.659 --> 00:01:53.739 and I could keep going, and you know the list, 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:55.840 and you know the items that could go on the list 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:59.280 of things that we need to be obedient to because 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:03.019 they're there for our safety, they're there for 00:02:03.019 --> 00:02:07.719 our well -being. But it's not as easy to be obedient 00:02:07.719 --> 00:02:10.680 to those things. It's easy to be obedient when 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:12.960 it's easy, like when it's obvious or when it's 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:15.759 convenient. But when it inconveniences me or 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:19.080 when it costs me something, it's not as easy 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:23.210 to be obedient then. So this morning we're continuing 00:02:23.210 --> 00:02:26.469 along in our series, The Jesus Church, where 00:02:26.469 --> 00:02:28.409 we're exploring the book of Acts and we're seeing 00:02:28.409 --> 00:02:31.469 the church that Jesus established that started 00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:34.050 and spread like a wildfire throughout the ancient 00:02:34.050 --> 00:02:35.849 world in the first century. And we've talked 00:02:35.849 --> 00:02:38.050 about how bold they were. We've talked about 00:02:38.050 --> 00:02:40.349 how committed and generous to each other they 00:02:40.349 --> 00:02:42.930 were and how they were only able to do this by 00:02:42.930 --> 00:02:45.949 the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. But this 00:02:45.949 --> 00:02:48.590 morning I want us to sit on just how threatened 00:02:48.590 --> 00:02:52.750 they were. Because you only need boldness when 00:02:52.750 --> 00:02:55.729 there's danger, right? And you only need to take 00:02:55.729 --> 00:02:58.310 care of each other when people are going without. 00:02:58.669 --> 00:03:01.430 And those are threats to our well -being. And 00:03:01.430 --> 00:03:04.469 there's more threat to the early church than 00:03:04.469 --> 00:03:07.129 I think sometimes we realize. And there's definitely 00:03:07.129 --> 00:03:09.849 more threat to the early church than we have 00:03:09.849 --> 00:03:12.710 ever experienced. Unless you come from a foreign 00:03:12.710 --> 00:03:14.710 country or you've done some mission work where 00:03:14.710 --> 00:03:17.469 you've really had to be top secret. Like we in 00:03:17.469 --> 00:03:20.590 America don't really face... these types of threats. 00:03:22.150 --> 00:03:24.770 So this morning, I want us to put in perspective 00:03:24.770 --> 00:03:29.430 what it looks like to truly be obedient to God 00:03:29.430 --> 00:03:32.770 when it is inconvenient, what it means to be 00:03:32.770 --> 00:03:35.289 obedient to the rules that are there for our 00:03:35.289 --> 00:03:39.050 well -being when it is not easy. And so we're 00:03:39.050 --> 00:03:40.849 going to look at Acts chapter 5. We'll start 00:03:40.849 --> 00:03:42.710 in verse 17. And so while you turn there, I want 00:03:42.710 --> 00:03:44.810 to give you a little bit of context for where 00:03:44.810 --> 00:03:46.830 we are in the scripture this morning. So what 00:03:46.830 --> 00:03:49.490 we've seen in Acts chapter 5, we've just seen 00:03:49.490 --> 00:03:51.870 the members of the church, they start selling 00:03:51.870 --> 00:03:54.530 off their possessions. They start giving up items 00:03:54.530 --> 00:03:57.289 and property that they have so that the kingdom 00:03:57.289 --> 00:04:00.469 can advance the mission of God. And then what 00:04:00.469 --> 00:04:02.770 we see is because of their generosity and the 00:04:02.770 --> 00:04:05.129 power of the Holy Spirit, the gospel is being 00:04:05.129 --> 00:04:08.629 proclaimed boldly to everybody, all creation 00:04:08.629 --> 00:04:13.770 in all of the world. And because of this, there 00:04:13.770 --> 00:04:16.529 is work being done in the surrounding area. The 00:04:16.529 --> 00:04:18.509 apostles, they're going around, they're performing 00:04:18.509 --> 00:04:20.589 miracles, they're preaching the gospel, they're 00:04:20.589 --> 00:04:23.250 helping people in not so ideal circumstances. 00:04:23.509 --> 00:04:26.709 And what happens is when they are doing this 00:04:26.709 --> 00:04:30.040 in these public spaces, people start to come 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:33.639 to know Jesus. Verse 14 tells us, more than ever, 00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:36.779 believers were added to the Lord, multitudes 00:04:36.779 --> 00:04:40.980 of both men and women. You see, all of this work 00:04:40.980 --> 00:04:43.839 that the church was doing led in the community 00:04:43.839 --> 00:04:48.399 to people being transformed, people being converted 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:51.939 to the kingdom of God. And what you see then 00:04:51.939 --> 00:04:55.720 is this overflow of people out into the streets. 00:04:55.839 --> 00:04:57.740 Like people are seeing the miracles performed 00:04:57.740 --> 00:05:00.079 by the apostles. They're seeing the good deeds 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:02.339 done by the church. And so what they're doing, 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:04.220 they're bringing the sick people, instead of 00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:06.160 taking them to a hospital, instead of taking 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:08.439 the orphan to an orphanage or a widow to like 00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:10.420 a retirement home, they're bringing these people 00:05:10.420 --> 00:05:12.620 out into the street so that they can hear the 00:05:12.620 --> 00:05:14.740 gospel, so that they can have miracles performed 00:05:14.740 --> 00:05:17.480 on them, so that their lives can be changed and 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:20.480 now they can live in a new community. That's 00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:23.399 what's happening in the first parts of Acts. 00:05:23.699 --> 00:05:27.779 The church was genuinely changing the world around 00:05:27.779 --> 00:05:31.279 them. They weren't just talking about Jesus. 00:05:31.459 --> 00:05:34.519 They weren't just casually including him in their 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:36.899 life. He wasn't just a part of their life. Jesus 00:05:36.899 --> 00:05:42.720 was changing and taking over the world. They 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:46.639 were making a point. To make him the point. And 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:49.100 this was leading to lives being saved and changed. 00:05:49.259 --> 00:05:52.160 And that's cool. Things are going well for them. 00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:54.740 They're having success. Like in our context, 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:56.439 we would look at it and say the seats in the 00:05:56.439 --> 00:05:58.639 church are full. They must be doing something 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:03.779 right. And that's great. But what about when 00:06:03.779 --> 00:06:06.439 things really get sticky? So if you remember, 00:06:06.699 --> 00:06:08.379 if you've read the book of Acts or if you've 00:06:08.379 --> 00:06:11.970 been with us earlier in the book. The Peter and 00:06:11.970 --> 00:06:14.569 John, they get arrested. They go before the religious 00:06:14.569 --> 00:06:17.089 leaders. They judge them. They say, hey, stop 00:06:17.089 --> 00:06:19.050 talking about Jesus and we'll leave you alone. 00:06:19.589 --> 00:06:23.410 Very simple. Shut up. That's it. Shut up and 00:06:23.410 --> 00:06:27.149 you'll be okay. Well, here, what we'll see happen 00:06:27.149 --> 00:06:33.310 in verses 17 through 18 is the same thing. Except 00:06:33.310 --> 00:06:35.939 the church. gets a little bit more pressure put 00:06:35.939 --> 00:06:39.279 on them. So I want you to look with me at verses 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:42.879 17 through 18. But the high priest rose up, and 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:45.160 all who were with him, that is the party of the 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:48.319 Sadducees, and filled with jealousy, they arrested 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:51.439 the apostles and put them in the public prison. 00:06:51.980 --> 00:06:54.600 So last time it was Peter and John by themselves. 00:06:54.879 --> 00:06:56.860 This time it doesn't tell us which apostles, 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:00.180 but it says the apostles. So I'm going to assume, 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:02.860 forgive me for assuming here, that it was all 00:07:02.860 --> 00:07:05.379 of them. Now, it may not have been all of them, 00:07:05.420 --> 00:07:07.519 but we definitely know that it wasn't just one. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:10.660 So multiple apostles, they get arrested. They 00:07:10.660 --> 00:07:15.300 go before these judges and they're told, well, 00:07:15.439 --> 00:07:17.660 they're not told anything yet. They're thrown 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:20.000 in prison. So they get thrown in prison and you 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:22.459 can imagine like you just get handcuffed. You 00:07:22.459 --> 00:07:25.300 get drug into prison for talking about Jesus, 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:29.480 for just telling people this good news. Have 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:31.500 you ever been threatened to tell somebody good 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:34.949 news? Like, hey, did you hear who won the Super 00:07:34.949 --> 00:07:38.810 Bowl? I mean, like if it's the Chiefs, maybe 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:40.790 if we're talking to a Broncos fan, they don't 00:07:40.790 --> 00:07:42.990 want to hear who won the Super Bowl. If it's 00:07:42.990 --> 00:07:44.730 the Falcons and you're talking to a Saints fan, 00:07:44.910 --> 00:07:47.050 well, that'll never happen, so we're not going 00:07:47.050 --> 00:07:52.199 to go there. Thank you. You don't feel pressure 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:54.939 for telling somebody good news. Hey, there's 00:07:54.939 --> 00:07:57.379 a half -off special on steaks at Ingalls. Like, 00:07:57.379 --> 00:08:00.519 that's not hard to do. But they get arrested 00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:04.319 for the second time after being warned and threatened 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:07.199 that if they don't stop talking about this good 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:11.459 news of Jesus, they are going to die. But if 00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:13.560 you remember earlier, they prayed for boldness. 00:08:14.360 --> 00:08:18.199 And they prayed for boldness so hard and so emphatically 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:20.519 that it shook the room around them and the spirit 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:22.959 moved and they were filled with the spirit. They 00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:24.819 went out, they kept proclaiming the good news 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:27.839 with boldness, unafraid and unashamed of what 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:30.300 might happen to them. And here it lands them 00:08:30.300 --> 00:08:35.379 in jail again. And they're sitting in jail. And 00:08:35.379 --> 00:08:37.200 I can imagine that they're probably a little 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:41.159 scared. I mean, even though they're full of boldness, 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:43.399 there still has to be a fear that comes over 00:08:43.399 --> 00:08:47.049 them. of this could really be the end. This could 00:08:47.049 --> 00:08:49.769 be the moment that they finally take us out. 00:08:50.549 --> 00:08:53.250 And as they're sitting there, verse 19 says, 00:08:53.529 --> 00:08:56.230 an angel of the Lord comes and breaks them out. 00:08:56.710 --> 00:08:59.330 The angel comes and releases them, and so they 00:08:59.330 --> 00:09:02.110 walk out of jail unscathed. Now I want you to 00:09:02.110 --> 00:09:04.470 think about what you would do if you escaped 00:09:04.470 --> 00:09:06.590 jail. And now remember, for at least Peter and 00:09:06.590 --> 00:09:09.169 John, this is the second time that they've escaped. 00:09:09.429 --> 00:09:14.330 And so you have now escaped death twice. What 00:09:14.330 --> 00:09:17.470 are you going to do? Because this shows how weak 00:09:17.470 --> 00:09:20.710 I am. I would probably try to get as far away 00:09:20.710 --> 00:09:23.230 from the people that just threw me in jail as 00:09:23.230 --> 00:09:26.129 possible. I might go hide in a cave somewhere. 00:09:26.649 --> 00:09:29.309 I could imagine that I might steer clear of the 00:09:29.309 --> 00:09:31.370 same crowd that I was running around with that 00:09:31.370 --> 00:09:34.529 got me in jail. I mean, I think about all these 00:09:34.529 --> 00:09:36.669 different things that I would do, but what the 00:09:36.669 --> 00:09:38.809 angel of the Lord immediately, like doesn't give 00:09:38.809 --> 00:09:41.490 them any time to question what they need to do. 00:09:41.549 --> 00:09:43.389 The angel of the Lord immediately gives them 00:09:43.389 --> 00:09:46.350 instructions. And this is what he says to do. 00:09:46.409 --> 00:09:49.110 He says, go and stand in the temple and speak 00:09:49.110 --> 00:09:53.009 to the people all the words of this life. And 00:09:53.009 --> 00:09:55.309 I want it to be noted that life there is capital 00:09:55.309 --> 00:09:59.659 L. It's this new life, this abundant life. The 00:09:59.659 --> 00:10:02.399 Greek word there is zoe. And so go and tell people 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:05.080 about this abundant life that you now have. We 00:10:05.080 --> 00:10:07.559 talk so much about the eternal life. What this 00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:10.379 scripture says is go tell them about the good 00:10:10.379 --> 00:10:16.960 life, the full life. And I love how scripture 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:21.019 continues to expose my weakness because I think, 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:23.320 now I would hope that I had a little bit more 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:25.710 maturity. I would hope that I had a little bit 00:10:25.710 --> 00:10:29.470 more respect. But if this angel just let me out 00:10:29.470 --> 00:10:32.210 of jail and then immediately says, hey, go do 00:10:32.210 --> 00:10:34.070 the thing that just got you thrown in jail, I 00:10:34.070 --> 00:10:36.230 might look at the angel and say, are you kidding 00:10:36.230 --> 00:10:40.129 me? I may say something a little more colorful 00:10:40.129 --> 00:10:45.519 like, are you dumb? Are you crazy? Are you insane? 00:10:45.659 --> 00:10:48.179 I just got put in prison. They've already threatened 00:10:48.179 --> 00:10:50.259 me once. I can only imagine what they were going 00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:52.779 to do to me this time. I just got threatened 00:10:52.779 --> 00:10:55.539 with death for preaching about Jesus, and you 00:10:55.539 --> 00:10:57.539 want me to go continue preaching about Jesus? 00:10:57.620 --> 00:10:59.580 The angel's like, yeah, that's exactly what I 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:01.379 want you to do. I don't understand where the 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:10.519 confusion is. And because they're obedient, because 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:15.389 they understand what... is at stake here. Because 00:11:15.389 --> 00:11:18.450 they understand who is in control of all of this 00:11:18.450 --> 00:11:23.799 life. They are obedient. They continue doing 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:25.799 what they were supposed to. These guys are a 00:11:25.799 --> 00:11:27.919 lot better than me. Look at verse 21. When they 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:30.379 heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak 00:11:30.379 --> 00:11:33.279 and began to teach. Okay, I need to remind my 00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:36.159 people that are here every Sunday that if it's 00:11:36.159 --> 00:11:37.879 underlined, I want you to read with me because 00:11:37.879 --> 00:11:39.539 I don't like reading by myself and I want to 00:11:39.539 --> 00:11:41.220 make sure you're not asleep. So let's try this 00:11:41.220 --> 00:11:43.879 again. When they heard this, they entered the 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:47.740 temple at daybreak and began to teach. They didn't 00:11:47.740 --> 00:11:50.159 even wait for the dew to dry on the ground. They 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:52.799 just got. going and they went and started teaching. 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:55.059 As soon as people came in, they're proclaiming 00:11:55.059 --> 00:11:57.000 the good news. And I want you to sit with that 00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:59.799 for a second, because I think we might be tempted 00:11:59.799 --> 00:12:01.720 to just look at that and like, oh man, that's 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:04.080 so cool. But this is like some serious stuff. 00:12:04.200 --> 00:12:06.179 They didn't get to see how this was going to 00:12:06.179 --> 00:12:08.899 end for them. For all they knew, there was a 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:11.500 prison guard waiting in the temple. And as soon 00:12:11.500 --> 00:12:13.399 as they started talking about Jesus, it was off 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:15.340 with their head. For all they knew, there were 00:12:15.340 --> 00:12:17.940 spies. There were people there ready to arrest 00:12:17.940 --> 00:12:20.679 them and to do what they did to Jesus. to them, 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:23.120 and they saw what Jesus went through. They felt 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:25.620 the wounds in his hands. They felt him dead, 00:12:25.779 --> 00:12:28.279 lifeless, and they did not care. They went to 00:12:28.279 --> 00:12:30.759 the temple. They preached and proclaimed this 00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:34.539 full, abundant, good life, and what am I doing 00:12:34.539 --> 00:12:37.399 when I don't face that persecution near enough, 00:12:37.500 --> 00:12:39.919 but I'm scared to go and tell people about Jesus 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:42.700 because they might think I'm weird. I'm scared 00:12:42.700 --> 00:12:44.460 to tell people about Jesus because they might 00:12:44.460 --> 00:12:47.899 think I'm a goody two -shoes or whatever. I don't. 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:50.220 I need to stop caring about that because my life 00:12:50.220 --> 00:12:52.820 isn't being threatened. Theirs was and they didn't 00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:59.500 care. They preached Jesus anyways. Because they 00:12:59.500 --> 00:13:02.139 knew what they'd been told to do and they trusted 00:13:02.139 --> 00:13:06.320 the one who told them. And that's what obedience 00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:09.600 looks like. It's regardless of what this is going 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:12.039 to cost me, regardless of what this is going 00:13:12.039 --> 00:13:14.960 to do to me, regardless of how people will see 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:17.620 me, how they will view me, how they will treat 00:13:17.620 --> 00:13:23.460 me, I'm going to preach Jesus obediently. Not 00:13:23.460 --> 00:13:27.039 after God proves it'll work out, not after God 00:13:27.039 --> 00:13:31.139 protects me, but before. See, we talked about 00:13:31.139 --> 00:13:33.100 boldness a few weeks ago. Well, this is exactly 00:13:33.100 --> 00:13:36.159 that. Staring down the consequences and you simply 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:39.240 don't care. You just do what you're told. You 00:13:39.240 --> 00:13:42.419 just do what you need to do. And of course, the 00:13:42.419 --> 00:13:44.759 consequences do come. In verses 21 through 26, 00:13:44.940 --> 00:13:46.960 we won't read it all, but we see the religious 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:50.029 leaders, they find out about the escape. And 00:13:50.029 --> 00:13:51.750 they're trying to figure out what happened, and 00:13:51.750 --> 00:13:54.210 they figure, they're like, we can't figure it 00:13:54.210 --> 00:13:56.070 out, there's no telling, because there's no, 00:13:56.169 --> 00:13:58.350 like, this isn't like on, you know, prison break 00:13:58.350 --> 00:14:00.509 movies where there's a hole in the wall, and 00:14:00.509 --> 00:14:03.070 they're like, man, somehow they got a chisel, 00:14:03.110 --> 00:14:04.669 and they were just slowly chiseling away at the 00:14:04.669 --> 00:14:07.250 wall. Or it's not like this little air vent that 00:14:07.250 --> 00:14:09.750 they, like, bubble gum the vent onto the wall 00:14:09.750 --> 00:14:11.389 to make it look like it was there. Like, this 00:14:11.389 --> 00:14:14.419 isn't that. They have no explanation. for how 00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:17.240 these men got out. And so what they don't want 00:14:17.240 --> 00:14:19.679 to admit is the only way this happened was by 00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:25.240 God. And they're mad. Earlier they were filled 00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:28.799 with jealousy. Now they're angry. And so they 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:31.100 go and they arrest all of the apostles again. 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:35.759 And in verse 28, they sound like every parent 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:39.100 ever disciplining their child saying, didn't 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:42.539 we strictly tell you to stop doing that? See, 00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:46.139 when I was a kid, I would get in trouble, and 00:14:46.139 --> 00:14:49.860 my big mama, she'd send me out into the backyard 00:14:49.860 --> 00:14:53.200 to pick out my own switch. If you are younger 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:56.039 than the age of maybe, let's say, 20, you know 00:14:56.039 --> 00:14:57.899 what a switch is. I'm not going to explain that 00:14:57.899 --> 00:15:00.379 for the kids in the room. But I'd go, and I'd 00:15:00.379 --> 00:15:02.539 have to pick out my own switch. And as she is 00:15:02.539 --> 00:15:05.840 tearing up my rear end, this was like 20 years 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:08.039 ago, so statute of limitations, nobody's going 00:15:08.039 --> 00:15:10.759 to arrest big mama. As she is tearing up my rear... 00:15:10.759 --> 00:15:14.200 end, she is just yelling, didn't I tell you to 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:19.820 stop? That's what the high priest here, that's 00:15:19.820 --> 00:15:21.059 what the Sadducees are doing. They're saying, 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:24.259 didn't we tell you to stop doing that? Stop talking 00:15:24.259 --> 00:15:27.379 about Jesus. Are you crazy? We will kill you. 00:15:27.580 --> 00:15:30.779 And they don't care. They don't care because 00:15:30.779 --> 00:15:33.720 they know that what Jesus has commanded them 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:36.320 and called them to do is far greater. And they 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:39.759 also know that if you kill me, so be it. I guess 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:41.700 I'll just have to go live in heaven with God. 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:47.159 How horrible. But I love the response of the 00:15:47.159 --> 00:15:49.679 apostles here after being told, didn't we tell 00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:52.100 you to stop? I want you to read this with me. 00:15:52.539 --> 00:16:01.370 We must obey God rather than men. We must. Not 00:16:01.370 --> 00:16:06.110 we should. Not we ought to. Not it would be good 00:16:06.110 --> 00:16:11.590 for us to. Not we recommend. We must obey God 00:16:11.590 --> 00:16:16.389 rather than men. And obviously this enraged the 00:16:16.389 --> 00:16:19.090 Sadducees even more to the point where they wanted 00:16:19.090 --> 00:16:21.330 to just go ahead right then and there, kill these 00:16:21.330 --> 00:16:25.120 guys. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, he speaks 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:27.519 up and he cautions them. And verses 33 through 00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:30.100 39, he goes through these different accounts 00:16:30.100 --> 00:16:32.600 of these religious movements, these cult followings 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:34.919 that happened in Jewish history. And what he 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:38.000 says is, hey, remember all of those times when 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:40.940 these different leaders and these different rabbis, 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:43.820 they tried to start movements and they claimed 00:16:43.820 --> 00:16:45.720 to be the Messiah? You remember those times? 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:50.139 Well, all of those movements failed. We just, 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:52.360 we killed their leaders and they failed. But 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:55.860 this Jesus movement, it hasn't ended. Like their 00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:58.000 leader got killed, but they're still doing it. 00:16:58.220 --> 00:17:00.539 They've got thrown in jail multiple times. They're 00:17:00.539 --> 00:17:04.599 still doing it. So maybe we need to consider 00:17:04.599 --> 00:17:07.339 that there's something more to this than just 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:09.740 some random guy who thinks he's a cool preacher. 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:14.460 And so what he tells them is basically, if it's 00:17:14.460 --> 00:17:18.950 a man's movement, it will fail. But if it's a 00:17:18.950 --> 00:17:22.529 God movement, nothing can stop it. Can you read 00:17:22.529 --> 00:17:24.309 that last part with me? If it's a God movement, 00:17:24.450 --> 00:17:26.789 nothing can stop it. If it's a God movement, 00:17:27.029 --> 00:17:32.630 nothing can stop it. Nothing. No political leaders 00:17:32.630 --> 00:17:38.549 can stop it. No riots can stop it. No other religious 00:17:38.549 --> 00:17:43.019 groups can stop it. No poverty can stop it. No 00:17:43.019 --> 00:17:45.720 harm can stop it. No threats can stop it. If 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:49.539 it is of God, nothing can stop it. And I think 00:17:49.539 --> 00:17:52.759 that's true because look at us now 2 ,000 years 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:55.640 later after all of the leaders of our movement 00:17:55.640 --> 00:17:58.980 have gotten killed, have died, have been in prison, 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:01.940 have been scorned. All of those men have gone 00:18:01.940 --> 00:18:05.359 before us and yet we are still here today worshiping 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:10.660 God and preaching the good news. If it's of God, 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:15.859 nothing can stop it. And so they listen to Gamaliel's 00:18:15.859 --> 00:18:18.000 advice and they beat the apostles. They don't 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:19.299 kill them, they just beat them. You know, they 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:21.259 go get the switch, they tear them up. We told 00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:23.279 you to stop, we'll tell you again, cut it out. 00:18:23.400 --> 00:18:26.740 And the apostles, they're thick -skinned. At 00:18:26.740 --> 00:18:28.259 least that's what I got called when I'd keep 00:18:28.259 --> 00:18:30.839 doing things after getting tore up, thick -skinned 00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:34.369 or dumb. The apostles, they just keep going and 00:18:34.369 --> 00:18:37.269 look at verse 42 with me. And every day in the 00:18:37.269 --> 00:18:39.849 temple and from house to house, they did not 00:18:39.849 --> 00:18:41.970 cease teaching and preaching that the Christ 00:18:41.970 --> 00:18:46.329 is Jesus. They kept proclaiming the good news. 00:18:47.529 --> 00:18:53.130 They just don't quit, do they? And the reason 00:18:53.130 --> 00:18:56.029 why is what Peter says. He says, we're witnesses 00:18:56.029 --> 00:19:01.750 of Jesus Christ and we answer to God alone. Nobody 00:19:01.750 --> 00:19:05.269 else. I don't answer to man. I don't answer to 00:19:05.269 --> 00:19:08.089 my boss. I don't answer to my, well, we answer 00:19:08.089 --> 00:19:10.650 to our spouse's men. They don't answer to us. 00:19:10.670 --> 00:19:13.730 They answer to God alone. We don't answer to 00:19:13.730 --> 00:19:20.130 anyone else but God. And I think it's hard for 00:19:20.130 --> 00:19:22.349 us to really understand that. It's incredibly 00:19:22.349 --> 00:19:24.650 hard. And next week, my brother Truman is going 00:19:24.650 --> 00:19:27.569 to preach on some like legitimate example of 00:19:27.569 --> 00:19:31.220 persecution and what that looks like. I don't 00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:33.400 think we can really understand because we are 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:35.200 blessed to live in a nation with the freedom 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:37.740 of religion. We are blessed to be in a nation 00:19:37.740 --> 00:19:40.619 where we can gather here. And the only fear of 00:19:40.619 --> 00:19:42.720 persecution we have is some cuckoos that get 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:45.900 a hold of a gun. We don't have to worry about 00:19:45.900 --> 00:19:50.779 our leaders persecuting us. And so this is hard 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:53.140 for us to understand, but what we can really 00:19:53.140 --> 00:19:55.859 understand is the temptation to be disobedient, 00:19:55.859 --> 00:19:58.910 the temptation to not... proclaim and not live 00:19:58.910 --> 00:20:01.650 the good news when things get tougher and convenient, 00:20:01.769 --> 00:20:04.950 which is why I started with the ideas of, you 00:20:04.950 --> 00:20:07.089 know, the bleach bottle and the motor oil. Like 00:20:07.089 --> 00:20:09.329 nobody's drinking that, but we are absolutely 00:20:09.329 --> 00:20:12.029 going to have one too many on a Saturday game 00:20:12.029 --> 00:20:16.150 day because that's convenient. And we are absolutely. 00:20:17.319 --> 00:20:19.900 going to say those words because we're just so 00:20:19.900 --> 00:20:22.460 mad. And it doesn't matter what anybody thinks. 00:20:22.599 --> 00:20:25.279 I'm angry. I have my right to say this. And we 00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:27.519 are absolutely going to miss church on a Sunday 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:29.900 because, well, I just had so much going on and 00:20:29.900 --> 00:20:31.900 it's been a really busy week and we had to get 00:20:31.900 --> 00:20:35.579 to the ball game. And we absolutely will align 00:20:35.579 --> 00:20:37.980 ourselves with political figures, even though 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:40.420 they act nothing like Jesus, because it's what's 00:20:40.420 --> 00:20:42.799 best for our economy. And my pocketbook is really 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:45.339 hurting. So I need to do this because it's what 00:20:45.339 --> 00:20:48.099 is good for the economy. and God will understand. 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:53.019 We will absolutely make those decisions of disobedience 00:20:53.019 --> 00:20:57.940 because it's convenient, because it gets us out 00:20:57.940 --> 00:21:01.339 of danger, because it makes life easy for us. 00:21:02.299 --> 00:21:05.779 We become disobedient when life becomes inconvenient. 00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:09.559 And here's the thing, the cost of obedience is 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:14.099 something that we really have to consider. In 00:21:14.099 --> 00:21:16.940 our Jesus Way series, we talked about the cost 00:21:16.940 --> 00:21:19.339 of discipleship. And that's what we're talking 00:21:19.339 --> 00:21:23.160 about. To live a life that looks like and proclaims 00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:26.599 the goodness of God requires us to give something 00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:28.599 up of ourselves. And I'm not going to stand up 00:21:28.599 --> 00:21:30.819 here and pretend like it's not going to cost 00:21:30.819 --> 00:21:33.500 us. It'll cost us our relationships. It'll cost 00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:36.380 us reputations. It might cost us our financial 00:21:36.380 --> 00:21:39.400 comforts. It might cost us the status that we 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:43.609 once knew. But that's life. That is life in the 00:21:43.609 --> 00:21:45.650 kingdom. But here's what I've come to believe. 00:21:46.170 --> 00:21:51.630 The cost of being obedient is never higher than 00:21:51.630 --> 00:21:56.410 the consequences of our disobedience. Because 00:21:56.410 --> 00:22:00.049 when I'm disobedient to God, I lose heaven. When 00:22:00.049 --> 00:22:02.390 I'm disobedient to God, I lose that abundant, 00:22:02.430 --> 00:22:05.829 full life. When I'm disobedient to God, I lose 00:22:05.829 --> 00:22:08.509 access to the Holy Spirit that gives me love, 00:22:08.569 --> 00:22:11.069 joy, and peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 00:22:11.309 --> 00:22:13.369 faithfulness, gentleness, and self -control. 00:22:13.490 --> 00:22:17.309 When I am disobedient, I lose this, this family 00:22:17.309 --> 00:22:19.750 of believers that are full of the Holy Spirit, 00:22:19.829 --> 00:22:22.849 not full of man's promises and not full of man's 00:22:22.849 --> 00:22:25.549 goodness, but full of God's. When I'm disobedient, 00:22:25.549 --> 00:22:29.160 that's what I lose. When I'm obedient, man. Darn, 00:22:29.180 --> 00:22:31.960 I didn't get drunk tonight. When I'm obedient, 00:22:32.140 --> 00:22:35.779 man, I'm not stuck on the side of the road. Man, 00:22:35.900 --> 00:22:40.380 when we're obedient, we suffer these little inconveniences 00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:43.180 and we suffer these little losses here. But I 00:22:43.180 --> 00:22:47.299 promise you, I'll take inconvenience here over 00:22:47.299 --> 00:22:49.799 suffering in heaven. Well, I won't be in heaven. 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:52.920 Suffering in eternity. I'll take that every time. 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:56.359 So we've spent this time together watching these 00:22:56.359 --> 00:22:58.359 men walk out of jail, go straight back to what 00:22:58.359 --> 00:23:00.359 got them thrown in jail. We've actually seen 00:23:00.359 --> 00:23:02.299 them get arrested twice. They've been beaten. 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:04.299 They've been threatened with death. And every 00:23:04.299 --> 00:23:07.359 single time, every time, they did the same thing. 00:23:07.900 --> 00:23:12.579 They obeyed. They trusted God, and they obeyed. 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:15.500 And it would be really easy for us to walk out 00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:17.819 of here inspired by that to think, man, those 00:23:17.819 --> 00:23:22.619 guys, they were awesome. I just love the apostles, 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:25.240 man. It'd be nice if I could be like them. It 00:23:25.240 --> 00:23:27.980 would be really easy to walk out of here feeling 00:23:27.980 --> 00:23:30.880 good about this sermon. And we're all going to 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:34.039 feel good about the sermon. Yes. Nobody agreed. 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:37.460 And we're going to go get lunch. But the truth 00:23:37.460 --> 00:23:40.220 is, is that's not application. That's just admiration. 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:43.240 And I want you to hear this clearly. And I hope 00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:45.700 you will make a mental note of this in your head. 00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:49.180 Admiration without application is just polite 00:23:49.180 --> 00:23:52.720 disobedience. It's saying, that's really cool, 00:23:52.839 --> 00:23:58.400 God. I love that idea for someone else. That's 00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:01.240 really cool. That's a great idea. Maybe you should 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:04.720 do that. We can admire it. We can say, that's 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:07.640 awesome. But if all we do is sit here and admire 00:24:07.640 --> 00:24:09.740 it, but we never do it, we never live it, we 00:24:09.740 --> 00:24:12.759 never act on it, we're being disobedient. We're 00:24:12.759 --> 00:24:16.400 just doing it kindly. So let me ask you something 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:19.180 before we sing our song of invitation. Is there 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:22.180 something that God has been telling you to do 00:24:22.180 --> 00:24:24.559 or has been prompting you to do? Something that's 00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:26.579 on your heart, it's been on your mind that you 00:24:26.579 --> 00:24:29.799 haven't done, that maybe you know exactly what 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:32.859 it is, but you're just kind of negotiating with 00:24:32.859 --> 00:24:36.380 it. Maybe it's a conversation you've been avoiding 00:24:36.380 --> 00:24:39.099 with someone. Maybe it's an action that you need 00:24:39.099 --> 00:24:40.920 to take. Maybe it's a habit that you need to 00:24:40.920 --> 00:24:43.400 break. but you've been excusing it because, well, 00:24:43.460 --> 00:24:46.279 the stress of life is real and this helps me 00:24:46.279 --> 00:24:48.519 in this instance. Maybe it's a relationship that 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:52.039 you know just isn't right, but you keep renegotiating 00:24:52.039 --> 00:24:54.680 the terms because it feels like if you walk away, 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:58.599 you'll be the one who loses. Maybe it's this 00:24:58.599 --> 00:25:01.460 right now, the call to repent, the call to be 00:25:01.460 --> 00:25:03.740 baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, the 00:25:03.740 --> 00:25:06.420 gift of eternal life. Maybe that like you've 00:25:06.420 --> 00:25:08.319 been nodding like, yeah, that's cool. That's 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:10.359 awesome. I'm really proud of that person that 00:25:10.359 --> 00:25:13.339 gave their life to Christ. Maybe it's that. And 00:25:13.339 --> 00:25:16.759 you've been sitting there with this thought of 00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:18.740 that's cool, but you haven't applied it. Here's 00:25:18.740 --> 00:25:21.420 what I want you to hear. The apostles didn't 00:25:21.420 --> 00:25:25.880 have the outcome before they had obedience. They 00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:28.670 walked into that temple. Not knowing how it was 00:25:28.670 --> 00:25:31.849 going to go down. Not knowing if the words that 00:25:31.849 --> 00:25:33.470 they would preach in that temple would be the 00:25:33.470 --> 00:25:36.890 last words they ever said. They just knew what 00:25:36.890 --> 00:25:39.589 they were told to do and who told them to go 00:25:39.589 --> 00:25:43.130 do it. And that was enough. And I want you to 00:25:43.130 --> 00:25:46.470 know that that is still enough today. That nothing 00:25:46.470 --> 00:25:48.890 in this life that could threaten you, that could 00:25:48.890 --> 00:25:51.190 harm you, that could take anything away from 00:25:51.190 --> 00:25:54.569 you is worth more than what God is giving those 00:25:54.569 --> 00:25:58.890 who are obedient to Him. Obedience is not the 00:25:58.890 --> 00:26:01.630 thing you do after you feel ready. It's not the 00:26:01.630 --> 00:26:03.970 thing you do after you understand and you have 00:26:03.970 --> 00:26:07.269 all the answers. I mean, when I was in youth 00:26:07.269 --> 00:26:09.849 ministry, I would hear so often with kids, I 00:26:09.849 --> 00:26:12.309 want to get baptized, but I just don't know enough. 00:26:13.089 --> 00:26:16.809 Or I want to be a leader, but I just don't feel 00:26:16.809 --> 00:26:19.309 like I'm smart enough. Or I don't feel like I'm 00:26:19.309 --> 00:26:21.809 capable enough or qualified enough. Or I want 00:26:21.809 --> 00:26:24.710 to come to church, but I don't feel good enough. 00:26:26.309 --> 00:26:29.750 That's not what obedience is. Like when I'm telling 00:26:29.750 --> 00:26:31.829 my four -year -old why he should do something, 00:26:32.009 --> 00:26:34.569 he has no clue why he should do it. Like telling 00:26:34.569 --> 00:26:36.430 him he needs to wear a collared shirt on Sundays 00:26:36.430 --> 00:26:38.349 when we come to church. He doesn't understand 00:26:38.349 --> 00:26:42.309 that. But this morning, praise God, he wore a 00:26:42.309 --> 00:26:44.569 collared shirt. He actually picked it out. I 00:26:44.569 --> 00:26:46.230 wasn't going to press the issue, but he did it. 00:26:46.250 --> 00:26:49.430 He was obedient. He doesn't understand why it's 00:26:49.430 --> 00:26:51.609 important to dress a little bit. Now, I don't 00:26:51.609 --> 00:26:54.569 care what you wear to church, but my kids, we're 00:26:54.569 --> 00:26:58.250 going to look at least decent. He doesn't understand 00:26:58.250 --> 00:27:00.690 why that's important. And sometimes neither do 00:27:00.690 --> 00:27:04.849 I. But we do it. Obedience isn't what you do 00:27:04.849 --> 00:27:06.809 after you understand everything and after you've 00:27:06.809 --> 00:27:09.269 got all the answers. Obedience is how you find 00:27:09.269 --> 00:27:12.910 out that God was faithful all along. That he 00:27:12.910 --> 00:27:16.690 had your best interest in mind all along. It's 00:27:16.690 --> 00:27:18.849 like you hear those stories about people that, 00:27:18.869 --> 00:27:21.059 you know, they'll say they felt... you know, 00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:23.039 a calling. Like they felt like the Holy Spirit 00:27:23.039 --> 00:27:24.660 was telling them to go do something. You know, 00:27:24.680 --> 00:27:26.700 I heard a story about a guy who was driving down 00:27:26.700 --> 00:27:28.779 the road and he felt the Holy Spirit tell him 00:27:28.779 --> 00:27:30.440 to go back to the gas station because there was 00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:33.220 somebody there that needed some help, that needed 00:27:33.220 --> 00:27:35.400 some money for food. They were hungry. They were 00:27:35.400 --> 00:27:37.720 without. And so the guy, he listens and he goes 00:27:37.720 --> 00:27:40.319 back and he gives this homeless person some food. 00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:43.599 And then as he's going back on his way to work, 00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:46.910 he pulls up and there's... police lights and 00:27:46.910 --> 00:27:49.650 there's a fire truck and there's an ambulance 00:27:49.650 --> 00:27:51.930 and there had been a wreck. That had happened 00:27:51.930 --> 00:27:53.789 right when he would have been passing through 00:27:53.789 --> 00:27:56.769 that area. Now I'm not telling you that I believe 00:27:56.769 --> 00:27:58.849 that that's how God always works, but what I 00:27:58.849 --> 00:28:02.069 am going to say is I do believe that God has 00:28:02.069 --> 00:28:04.750 our best interests in mind. And when he gives 00:28:04.750 --> 00:28:06.730 us a command, when he tells us something, when 00:28:06.730 --> 00:28:09.690 he gives us instruction, he's doing it for our 00:28:09.690 --> 00:28:12.849 good. God works all things together for those. 00:28:13.420 --> 00:28:15.640 all things together for good for those who love 00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:19.119 him. That is absolutely true. And he does that 00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:21.799 in one way by us being obedient to the teachings 00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:24.059 he's given us. So whatever it is, that thing 00:28:24.059 --> 00:28:26.099 that is sitting with you right now, I want to 00:28:26.099 --> 00:28:28.299 invite you to make today the day that you stop 00:28:28.299 --> 00:28:31.220 negotiating with disobedience, that you will 00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:33.259 just listen, not to pressure you, but because 00:28:33.259 --> 00:28:36.079 God, the same God who sent an angel to break 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:38.579 his apostles out of prison, the same God who 00:28:38.579 --> 00:28:40.759 has been actively working throughout history 00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:43.819 to bring us here today, the same God that put 00:28:43.819 --> 00:28:46.180 his son on this earth to give us a chance at 00:28:46.180 --> 00:28:49.539 full, abundant, eternal life. that same God is 00:28:49.539 --> 00:28:53.660 just asking you to take a step in obedience. 00:28:54.940 --> 00:28:58.000 So I want us to pray together today. I want you 00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:00.420 to take that step to be obedient to whatever 00:29:00.420 --> 00:29:03.640 it is that God is calling you to do. If you just 00:29:03.640 --> 00:29:05.740 need someone to sit with you and pray with you, 00:29:05.779 --> 00:29:07.519 if you need to be baptized for the forgiveness 00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:09.599 of your sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit in 00:29:09.599 --> 00:29:12.380 this new full life, if you need the church to 00:29:12.380 --> 00:29:14.480 walk with you through a struggle, whatever it 00:29:14.480 --> 00:29:19.039 is you need, we ask you. to step out of the cell, 00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:23.700 to go into the temple. It's daybreak. Come now 00:29:23.700 --> 00:29:25.140 as we stand and sing.